Uniting spider structure



March 16, 1954 W F. MQORE UNITING SPIDER STRUCTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Oct. 5, 1950 INVENTOR Willim mom ATTORNEY March 16, 1954 w MOORE2,672,280

UNITING SPIDER STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 5, 1950 s Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTORATTORNEY March 16, 1954 F, MOORE UNITING SPIDER STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-SheetFiled Oct. 5, 1950 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 16, 1954 UNITING SPIDERSTRUCTURE William Francis Moore, New Haven, Conn., as-

signor to The A. C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation ofMaryland Application October 5, 1950, Serial N 0. 188,523

11 Claims. 1

This invention relates to structure for unitin in rigid relationship amotor body carrying an electric fan impeller and a stationary funnelshell that surrounds the impeller blades and guide the air stream of thefan, whereby either the motor body or the funnel shell may derive firmsupport from the other.

One object of the invention is to centralize in firmly fixedrelationship a motor body and an encompassing funnel shell ofconsiderably larger compass than the motor body by the use of couplingstructure that impedes as little'as possible the flow of air through theannular space between the motor body and funnel shell.

A further object is to make use of bent sheet metal connecting partsradially spanning the aforesaid annular space.

A further object is to attach radially disposed sheet metal plates to amotor body without the use of fastening screws.

A further object is to fasten radially disposed supporting fins to ahollow encompassing shell ring in a manner to deaden the transmission ofvibration from one sheet metal part to another.

A further object is to utilize circuitous or circular wire rings asbinding elements for angularly related fin plates when radially directedtoward a common center, and also to serve as a safeguard againstentrance of foreign objects into the annular space spanned by such finplates.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will appear in greaterparticular from the following description of a successful embodiment ofthe invention having reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of an electric household fan having the body ofits electric motor held centrally of a funnel shell by structureembodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view taken partly in section on the plane 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the fan of Fig. 1 showing the air blowing unitof Fig. 2 swung to a vertical instead of a horizontally facing position.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the radially supportfins with its connections to the motor body and ring shell which itserves to unite.

Fig. 5 is a view taken on the plane 5-5 in Fig. 4 looking toward themotor body in the direction of the arrows.

Since the features with which the present invention is most closelyconcerned have to do more particularly with the structure whose de- 2tails are shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it will suffice to describe thesupporting standard and stationary frame of the fan as comprising ahollow base l2 incorporating a dished top wall l4 to which is fixed arigid circular frame ring 18. The bottom edge of base [2 carries footdiscs 29 of non carring material on which base I2 stands. In the hollowof the base there is an electric switch controlling the supply ofcurrent derived through attachment cord 26. The handle of this switch isa turnable knob 24 accessible at the front exterior of the base. Aflexible wire cable leads switch controlled current from the base to afan motor 54. p

A fan motor 54, air impeller having blades 90 and funnel shell structure28 are swingably mounted as a unit on a surrounding frame ring 18 so asto be turnable about the horizontal axis of hinge pins 42 whichpenetrate hinge studs 32 fixed to the frame ring. The swingablestructure is maintained in selected positions to which it may beadjusted by detent means not herein shown but disclosed and claimed in acopending application, Serial No. 188,524, filed October 5, 1950, nowPatent No. 2,660,368, issued November 24, 1953. Features of the fanmotor, air impeller and funnel shell constructions are disclosed andclaimed in another copending application, Serial No. 195,210, filedNovember 13, 1950.

The funnel shell structure viewed as an integral unit is composed of twodrawn sheet metal parts forming a hollow annulus. The circumferentiallyinner part provides an air stream guiding conduit 46 while thecircumferentially outer part forms a casing 44 whose circular edgesoverlap and form a rigid joint with circular edges of the conduit shell46.

The front opening of casing shell 44 and funnel shell 28 is spanned bygrid 48 having the cross vanes 52 and whose border rim is removablysecured by screws 50 to the casing shell.

The problem solved by the present invention concerns the rigid unitingof motor 54 with the conduit shell 46 so that the fan impeller 55 isconstrained to rotate in accurate pre-determined fixed relation to thefunnel structure 28 shown in Fig. 2. For this purpose there are providedfour stiff flat fin plates 56 each of somewhat triangular shapedelineated by two diverging edges spanning the annular gap or airpassageway between the motor casing and conduit shell 46. Fin plates 56are radially disposed and aligned with planes containing the axis ofrotation of the impeller and have flanges 58 turned over in respectivelyopposite-directions and bearing against the outer surface of the motorhousing 60. Also there are alignment tongues 62 on fin plates 55 whichpenetrate close fitting slots in the motor housing 60. The radiallyoutermost extremity or apex of each fin plate 56 is bent over at rightangles at 63 and is equipped with a vibration absorbing bushing 64through which extends a mounting screw 66 which also extends through aclose fitting hole in the funnel-shaped wall of air conduit 46. Screw 66threads into a holding, nut 68 that is fixed in place within the hollowannular space between conduit wall- 45 and casing wall 44 of the funnelstructure 28. The triangular shape of the fiat; fin plates and the.fixed attachment of their innermost or-base edgeto the motor bodyimparts to the plate minimum weight combined with maximum; cantilever,strength and these plates braced by hoops 10,72 and 14 form a mountingspider in which the holes in plate extremities 58 are maintained inrelative positions to register respectively with the matching holes inshell 46 for screws I56 inthe absence of such screws and during anyperiod when the spider remains detached from the shell.

Fins 555 are evenly spaced about the-motor body and are fixed thereto aspreviously described with the strengthening assistance of three wirehoops it, 12, and M, of increasing diameter in the order named, thesehoops being nested in notches in the edges of the fin plates and:securely retained therein by slightly bent-over projecting lips 15.

In assembling the structure hereinbeforedescribed the tongues 62- ofeach fin plate will be inserted through their close fitting slots inmotor housing iii! until the plate flanges 58 abut against the outersurface of the motor housing, to the wall of which housing these flangescan then be spot welded or otherwise firmly fastened. There will beinserted in a hole'in the bent-ever apex 63 of each fin plate eyeletgrommet M of distortable resilient rubber. The fin plate tongues 62- maybe inserted in the motor housing slots while the notches in theirsloping edges are occupied by the crosswise encompassing wire hoops l0,l2, and i4. Notch bordering projecting lips 15 at that time standstraight as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 4. Thefin plates may betilted out of radial alignment withthe axis of the motor when initiallyintroducing their tonguesd! into their slots in the motor housing 63.after which all the fin plates can be swung into true radial alignmentso as to cause the plates edges to wedge somewhat between the wire hoopsl6, l2, and i l and the motor housing thus: taking up all initiallooseness or play therebetween. For further increasing the security withwhich the wire hoops are lodged in the plate notches, the projecting lipl that flanks each notch is forcedv toward th left in Fig. 4, thuspartly closing the mouth of the notch while clinching against. the wireof the hoop.

The four fin plates 55 are then removably fastened to the funnel shellstructure 23 by inserting holding screws. 65' through the grommets 63and through registering clearance holes in the sheet metal of conduitshell 46 into threaded engagement with the nuts. 68, respectively, thatmay be welded to the surface of the conduit shell.

before it is assembled with the casing shell Mlto form the hollow:annular funnelshell structure 23.

The appended claims are directed to; and cover all fair equivalents, forthe parts, and their relationships; that. are herein; disclosed;toexplain. a.

4 successful embodiment of the principles of invention and are intendedto be given the broadest interpretation applicable to their wording.

I claim:

1. Mounting structure for assembling in coaxial readily separablerelation the motor body of an electric fan and a funnel shell thatsurrounds thefan, comprising in combination with said body and shell, amounting spider of skeleton construction occupying the annular spacebetween said body and shell including plates radiating the; manner offins from the motor body, each of said plates having a radiallyinnermost edge elongatedin the direction of the motor axis fixedlyattached to the motor body, and each of said plates having another edgespanning the annular spacebetween said body and shell terminating at aradially outermost extremity of the plate, matching elements on saidshell and on said plate extremities, means to fasten said elementsdetachably together, and at least one plate bracing hoop surrounding themotor body at. a radius intermediate said innermost plate edges and saidplate extremities fixedly attached to said space spanning edges of saidplates in a manner to maintain said matching elements on the plateextremities: in relative position to register respectively with saidelementson the shell in the absence, of said fastening; means.

2. Mounting structureias defined in claim 1, in which each or" the saidplates is, flat and has still another edge also spanning the saidannular space between the said, motor body and the said funnel shell andalso'terminating at the said extremity of the, plate, the. two saidspace spanning edges of the plate diverging to meet, the said innermostedge of the plateatlocations spaced well apart axially of the motor bodywherefore to delineate a generally-triangular shape-of plate based onthe motor body whereby there is imparted to the plate minimum weightcombined with maximum cantilever strength.

3. Mounting structure as defined, in cla'mi 1, in which the said spacespanning edges of the said plates respectively contain notches locatedin a common plane perpendicularto the axis of the motor, in all' ofwhich notches the said bracing hoop is firmly lodged.

4-. Mounting structuraasdefi-ned in claim 1, in which the said: spacespanning edges of the said plates are inclined with respect to the motoraxis in directions to face outwardly away. from the said motor; body,and: the said bracing hoop girdles the said inclined: plate edges incrosswise relation thereto;

5. Mounting structure as, defined in: claim 1, in which the said spacespanning edges of the said plates are inclined inrespect to the motoraxis in a direction to face outwardlyaway from the said motor body andcontain, notches located in a common plane perpendicularto the motoraxis, said inclined edges being girdled! by the said plate bracing. hoopand said hoop occupying said notches.

6'. Mounting structure-as defined in claim 1, in which the said spacingspanning edges of the said plates respectively contain notches flankedby a lip, delineated by thecontour of said edge and occupied by the saidbracing hoop, said lips being bent inward toward said notchesrespectively in a manner toclinch said hoop while the latter is lodgedin said notches.

7. Spider structure as defined in claim 1-, in which there are a.plurality of the said hoops spaced, apartv and; ofdiffering compass eachgir- 5 dling and binding all of the said fin plates together.

8. Spider structure as defined in claim 1, in which the said elongatedinnermost edge of each of said fin plates carries at least one straighttongue and at least one bent over flange, and the said motor bodycontains at least one opening occupied and closely filled by saidtongue, said bent over flange bearing against and being secured to theexternal surface of said motor body.

9. Mounting structure as defined in claim 1, in which one of saidmatching elements includes a flange on the said radially outermostextremity of each of the said plates paralleling the inner surface ofthe said funnel shell and containing a hole registering with a hole insaid shell, and the said fastening means includes a holding screwextending through both of said holes having its axis in parallelrelation to the plate.

10. Spider structure as defined in claim 9, together with a vibrationabsorptive grommet of resilient material sufliciently distortable withinits elastic limit to be forced into occupancy of one of the said holessurrounding the said holding screw and completely separating it frommetallic contact with the said flange of the said plate.

11. The method of assembling a spider support structure in an annularspace between a supported fan body and an encompassing annular support,which includes the steps of placing fin plates about the said fan bodyeach in broadside tilted relation to a different radial plane containingthe axis of the fan, engirdling said fin plates with a hoop, and thenrighting said fin plates into alignment respectively with said radialplanes against the constraining resistance of said hoop.

WILLIAM FRANCIS MOORE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

